“Thank you for dinner,” I said, remembering my manners before Fern and I left the room and headed back upstairs, neither of us saying a word until our room door was closed and locked.
Chapter 6
Charlie
“What the fuck? You went to Eton and your dad is Lord Welch? You didn’t think to tell me that before we arrived here?”
I perched on the end of the bed, kicking my boots off. “We talked for fifteen minutes on the plane before you ignored me and it’s not something I share very often, but fuck, it felt good to put James in his place.”
“It was so good to watch his face when he thought he’d made a contact and you shut him down.” She paused. “But you don’t even have the same name.”
I shook my head. “Have you seen the man, heard him talk? Would you want to have the same name as him? I took my mum’s maiden name when we got our recording contract. I don’t want to have anything to do with that man.”
Fern held onto the dresser as she slipped off her shoes.
“Please take that muck off your face. I can’t take you seriously. I feel like I’m talking to a demon doll.”
“Rude.”
“But true. You’ve got so much make up on, you don’t look like you. Go shower. Then let’s see what Neo sent us.”
“Fine,” she huffed, storming to the bathroom and slamming the door. While she was in there, I changed into some gray sweats, leaving my chest bare because this house was hotter than hell, and grabbed my phone.
Me: I arrived, but fuck, this place is messed up.
Fox: Remember what’s at stake, C.
Me: How can I forget? You gave me the longest lecture before I left. There are other labels out there, you know.
Archer: Not one we want to be signed to. Come on. One week on your best behavior. Even you can manage that. What’s so bad about her family, anyway?
Me: Not sure yet. I mean, they’re rich assholes, but I don’t know why she’d need protecting from that.
Fox: You’ve got this. And it will give you a chance to get to know Fern. She’s fucking amazing.
Me: You come, stay with her, and pretend to be her boyfriend then.
Fox: I tried, remember? Plus, she’s not into sharing, so that’s not ideal for my life plans.
Me: How is Lea?
Fox: Don’t!
Me: Best go. Merry Christmas, both of you. I know I’ve been a nightmare. I will make this right.
Archer: Love you, dickhead.
Fox: Yeah, we love you. Don’t let your dad ruin your life anymore, C. It’s time to take back control. Tell Fern we said hi.
The sound of the door opening brought my attention from my phone back to the room. A groan almost spilled from my lips as I found Fern standing across from me dressed in light blue shorts and a matching short sleeved top. She was toned, her long legs went on forever, her stomach was flat, but she had curves in all the right places; wide hips, a narrow waist, and her ample, pert breasts, her hard nipples outlined through the thin material, making me wonder whether she was wearing underwear. Her face was free from make up, she had her glasses on and her wet hair was braided into two long plaits that hung over her shoulders.
My brain was misfiring… it had to be because why else would I be looking at her, thinking the thoughts I was thinking? Which were anything but decent.
God, I need a drink.
Grabbing a pillow from behind me, I pressed it over my crotch to hide my swelling cock. “Better.” I coughed. “You look like you again.”
She sat on the side of the bed, picking something invisible off her shorts, avoiding looking at me. “Sorry about dinner. It was awful.”
